The Upper Madison is by far the best bet right now for fishing in our area. Streamflows dropped substantially this week and some big trout were caught...expect streamflows to bump some with some warmer weather in the forecast but we bet the big trout will still be on the prowl as stonefly nymphs are getting more and more active. The West Fork and Cabin and Beaver Creeks may add some muddy water into the main stem of the Upper Madison, but Upper Madison trout feed in dirty water and rarely does clarity cause many major issues on the Upper Madison.
The walk-and-wade section is probably going to have the best fishing, but floating anglers will still find plenty of clean water and good flows.
The best fishing is still going to be subsurface and perhaps in the walk-and-wade section. Expect flows to start to rise again as warmer weather is in the forecast for the weekend. However, even in dirty water trout on the Upper Madison still feed....and often feed quite well. The determining factor is how well the Upper Madison fishes right now is level of flow. And, in most years late May and early June is a great window to fish the Upper Madison when other rivers are little too high and muddy.
With each warmer day on the Upper Madison, stonefly nymphs become more and more active. This doesn't mean a hatch is going to happen anytime soon, but the abundant population of stonefly nymphs in the Upper Madison provide a large portion of a trout's diet from now until late summer.
The Upper continues to be one of the best options in our area. The entire river is now open and the farther up you go the better the clarity gets. The wade section between Quake Lake and Lyon’s Bridge will be your best bet, as you only need about 6” of visibility to be successful here. San Juan Worms and Stonefly nymphs are good bets, but the fish have seen plenty of these patterns already. Don’t be afraid to throw a small beadhead despite the dirty water. The float section below Lyon’s Bridge will become an option soon, but high, dirty water combined with some low bridges and other hazards suggests waiting a bit longer for this stretch. The water between Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake remains clear, albeit busy, above the Cabin Creek confluence. Fly selection here varies widely from big ugly Stoneflies and Worms to more typical tailwater flies like Scuds, Sowbugs, and Midges.
Flows in the walk-and-wade section are running right about average which means wading anglers have plenty of places to fish. For dry fly anglers, wait till later in the day when midges and Blue Winged Olives could hatch and if the air temp hits 70 degrees, be on the look out for caddis even in the walk and wade section but it will be sporadic at best. Seek out slower pockets behind rocks or downstream of bankside structure. For BWOs choose your favorite hi-vis Parachute pattern and for midges a Buzzball or Hi-Vis Parachute Midge. Tandem subsurface nymph rigs with smaller flies are going to be the most successful. Choose your favorite midge or mayfly patterns such as Zebras, Sparkle Pupas, PTs, and the like. The proven tactic of a bugger and beadhead nymph dragged through a run or bucket will also pull some fish, but because the prominent food sources at the moment are small, two small flies fished under an indicator will get it done more often than not.
To get some useful knowledge and to expand your fly fishing horizons, be sure to read some of our recent blog posts featuring: The Best Salmonfly Dry Flies for Montana 5 Best Streamers for Fly Fishing in Montana in Spring, 5 Essential Dry Flies for Spring, 9 Great Flies for Large Trout Anywhere in the World, What Do Trout Need And How to Use That to Catch More Fish, Best Not-So-Secret Places to Fish in Montana This Spring, and The Mayfly You Need to Know: Catch More Fish by Understanding Blue Winged Olives.
Flies for the Madison Right Now:
Parachute Adams in sizes 12-18
Royal PMXs in sizes 10-12
Pats Rubberlegs in brown/tan or brown in sizes 8-14
Pheasant Tails in flashback or natural in sizes 10-16
Rainbow warriors in sizes 14-20
Firebead or hot bead SJ wormies in sizes 8-12
Zebra Midges in sizes 16-20
Beadhead PTs in sizes 18-22
Juju beatis in flash or tan in sizes 16-20
The Month Ahead:
Unless you happen to be in a section where a large hatch is occurring, the best way to get into fish right now on the Upper Madison is to fish subsurface. Nymphing big protein flies like stoneflies, worms, sculpins, and large beadheads are the ticket to success right now. Focus on the banks as stonefly nymphs are getting more and more active as water temps warm. Additionally, as flows increase on the Upper Madison the banks are going to be the primary place to find slower water. So...the mix of slow water paired with stonefly nymphs means your focus should be on the banks or other structure. Stonefly nymphs are crawlers so look for places they can crawl and fish near there.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
Fishing on the Upper Madison near West Yellowstone and down to Ennis should remain solid for long term. Stoneflies, caddis, golden stones, PMDS, and then terrestrials will all provide consistent action until the snow starts to fly in November.